Eastland Center, Harper Woods, MI

An enclosed shopping mall in Harper Woods, Michigan is Eastland Center. The mall is located at 18000 Vernier Road, and managed by Jones Lang LaSalle. The management company is separate from the owner, though. The owner is Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. Eastland Mall was opened in 1957 by developer JL Hudson Corporation. Harper Woods is a suburb of Detroit, which means there are other malls for Michigan shoppers to go to if they desire. This mall has 88 stores with 4 anchor stores. However, they do have space for over a hundred stores and five anchors. Total retail space is 1,415,557 square feet with 7613 parking space. There is one floor for shopping, with a partial basement underneath a few of the stores.

Planning started in 1951 for the mall, but with the end of one war and the beginning of rebuilding the economy plans took until 1957 to be completed. The plan was also under fire as some individuals did not care for the original design. When the mall was first built it was an open air mall with Hudson as the anchor. In 1975 the mall was renovated to be enclosed with JC Penney and Montgomery Ward added as anchor stores. 1985 marked the addition of a food court and movie theater. MainStreet, which was a department store chain moved into the mall in the mid 80's, was bought out by Kohl's in 1989. Kohl's closed in 1995 allowing Target to move in. Montgomery Ward closed numerous stores all over the United States in 1998 due to financial issues and JC Penney's had to close two years later. Even though Hudson's is owned by Target, the Hudson store was renamed Marshall Field's keeping that store and Target separate.

In 2004 Steve and Barry's moved into the Montgomery Ward space. The last department store to be added to the mall was Burlington Coat Factory in 2009. Now the anchor stores are Macy's, Sears, Target and Burlington because even Steve and Barry's left.

The mall's main attraction besides the stores is the centerpiece called the Lion and Mouse. It is a nine foot sculpture with a lion and mouse, which was original to the mall. The mouse was stolen in 1957, so a new mouse had to be created. They have gone through 6 mice as of 2007, and amazingly the 1957 mouse was returned in 2007 by the person who stole it.

Some of the stores and eateries at the mall include 4 Men, Action Master, Applebee's, Ashley Stewart, Bakers, Beautiful Eyebrows, Capitol Jewelers, Champs Sports, Characters and Collectibles, Charley's, Charlotte Russe, Children's Place, Chili's, Claire's, and the Coffee Beanery.

Additionally at the mall are Dakota Watch Company, Donna Sacs, European Perfumes, Exotic City Shoes, Famous Wok, Fashion Entourage, Finish Line, Foot Locker, G by Guess, Game Stop, Gilyana Tailoring, GNC, Gold Creations, H&R Block, and Jimmy Jazz.

Mall hours of operation are 10am to 9pm Monday through Saturday, and Sunday 12pm to 5pm. However, holidays can vary the hours the Eastland Center is open.